Timeline of the Muslim presence in the Iberian peninsula
*
710 - The
Berber General
Tariq ibn Ziyad takes
Tangier. Several
Muslim expeditions raid across the straits into
Hispania Baetica (modern
Andalusia), including a fairly large one led by a Berber called
Tarif ibn Malluk. Civil war is raging between rival kings in
Visigothic Hispania.
*
711 - A Muslim force of about 7,000 fighters (mainly Berber with some
Arabs) under
Tariq ibn Ziyad, loyal to the
Umayyad Emir of Damascus,
Al-Walid I, enter the
Iberian peninsula from
North Africa.
**At the
Battle of Guadalete Tariq ibn Ziyad defeats King
Rodrigo, the last
Visigoth ruler of
Hispania, at the Guadalete River in the south of the Iberian peninsula. Tariq goes on to take
Toledo, while a detachment under
Mugit al-Rumi takes
C贸rdoba.
*
712 - The Muslim governor of Northern Africa,
Musa ibn Nusayr, follows Tariq ibn Ziyad with an army of 18,000 Arabs. He takes
Medina-Sidonia,
Seville and
M茅rtola.
*
713 -
Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa, Musa ibn Nusair's son, takes
Ja茅n,
Murcia,
Granada,
Sagunto.
**The
Christians of
Seville and
Toledo revolt but are put down by
Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa's troops. Toledo is pillaged and its notables are beheaded.
*
714 - First Muslim campaigns in the lower
Ebro valley and south East part of the Iberian Peninsula.
**
Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa takes
脡vora,
Santar茅m and
Coimbra.
*
715 - By this year virtually all of southern
Iberia is in Muslim hands.
Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa is left in charge and makes his capital the city of
Seville, where he marries
Egilona, widow of King
Rodrigo, who encourages him to convert to Christianity. The
Umayyad Caliph Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik, orders
Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa assassinated.
*
716 -
Lisbon is captured by the
Moors.
*
717 -
C贸rdoba becomes the capital of Muslim
Al-Andalus. During the wars between
Christians and
Muslims,
Jewish courtiers are valued as diplomats, translators, and advisors to both sides.
*
718 -
Pelayo, a Catholic Asturian noble and possibly, but not certainly, comrade-in-arms of King
Rodrigo at the
Battle of Guadalete leads the fight against the Moors in the Asturian region and establishes the
Kingdom of Asturias. The Muslims set out destroy the Asturian fighters and surround Pelayo and 300 of his men in the Asturian mountains. The Muslims attack ruthlessly but Pelayo evades capture and continues organizing the
Christian forces.
*
719 - Muslims attack
Septimania in southern
Francia and become established in the region later known as
Languedoc.
*
720 -
Moorish conquest of
Barcelona and
Narbonne.
*
721 - A mixed force of
Aquitanians and
Franks under Duke
Odo of Aquitaine defeat a Muslim army under the governor general of Al-
Andalus,
al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani, at the
Battle of Toulouse. The Franks quickly surround and critically wound al-Samh ibn Malik and destroy most of his force of 375,000 Arabs in what will be recorded as one of the worst military defeats in Muslim history, albeit it is very unlikely that the claimed number of Arabs is true.
*
722 - King
Pelayo defeats a large force sent by Emir
Munuza to annihilate him at the
Battle of Covadonga in
Alcama. He then leads an alliance of
Asturian and
Cantabrian mountaineers and
Spaniards in the counter-offensive against the Muslims beginning what will be called
La Reconquista. Pelayo will go on to become the founder of a dynasty of Iberian monarchs who will over the centuries recapture all of the Iberian lands from the Muslims.
*
725 - Muslim raids reach
Autun in Frankish
France.
*
729 -
Berbers rebel in
Cerdanya, but despite being allied with Duke
Odo of Aquitaine, the rebellion is suppressed.
*
732 - A Muslim army led by
Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi defeats an
Aquitanian force under Duke
Odo of Aquitaine on the
Garonne near
Bordeaux. The Moors then set about pillaging
Aquitaine.
** Frankish commander
Charles Martel "the Hammer" defeats a massive Muslim army of 60,000 fighters at the
Battle of Tours killing
Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, effectively halting the northward advance of
Islam in
Europe from the Iberian peninsula.
*
737 - Arabs take
Avignon in the
Rh么ne Valley.
**King
Pelayo of Asturias dies, and his son
Favila becomes
King of Asturias.
*
739 -
Berbers revolt in
North Africa and
Iberia.
**Rebels in
North Africa defeat a
Syrian force and kill its commander
Kulthum.
**Alfonso, son of
Peter of Cantabria, duke of
Cantabria, and married to
Ormesinda, daughter of
Pelayo, becomes King
Alfonso I of Asturias.
**By order of Alfonso I, the Moors are driven out of
Galicia.
*
740 -
Berbers rebel against the ethnically exclusive Arab
Umayyad Caliphate and refuse to support them with tax revenues.
*
741 - The 10,000 survivors of
Kulthum's force arrive in
Iberia under a new leader,
Talaba ibn Salama; he and the
Jordanians settle in
C贸rdoba; the
Homs contingent in
Seville; the
Damascus contingent in
Elvira;
Qinnasrin in
Jaen, and
Palestinians in
Algeciras and
Medina-Sidonia. Civil war erupts between the
Syrians and the Iberian
Muslims, the latter being supported by a contingent of
African Muslims under
Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib.
*
742 - Internal conflict in
Al-Andalus continues for the next 4 years.
*
750 - Taking advantage of the
plague,
drought, and
revolts preoccupying the
Muslims,
Alfonso I, Duke of
Cantabria, creates the Christian Kingdom of
Galicia in the far northwestern corner of
Iberia.
*
755 -
Abd ar-Rahman I of the
Umayyad dynasty flees to
Iberia to escape the
Abbasids.
*
756 - Abd ar-Rahman I defeats
Yusuf al-Fihri outside
C贸rdoba.
*
756 -
Abd ar-Rahman I ,
Umayyad commander of the
Muslims of
Al-Andalus, proclaims himself
Emir of C贸rdoba.
*
757 -
Fruela I becomes King of
Asturias.
*
759 - The
Moors lose the city of
Narbonne (in
France), their furthest and last conquest into
Frankish territory. In capturing this city, King
Pippin the Younger ends all Muslim rule north of
Iberia.
*
763 - Abd ar-Rahman I suppresses an
Abbasids inspired revolt.
*
764 - Abd ar-Rahman I takes
Toledo from
Hisham ibn Urwa.
*
766 -
Said al-Matari rebels in
Seville.
*
768 -
Aurelio becomes King of
Asturias.
*
768-
777 - A
Berber reformer rebels in central Iberia and occupies
Merida and other towns to the north of the
Tagus. The rebellion is suppressed after nine years.
*
771 - Syrians under
Abd al-Ghaffar rebel against
Abd ar-Rahman I, but the latter defeats the Syrians on the river Bembezar in
774.
*
774 -
Silo becomes King of Asturias. In this period this is a lot of unrest in
Galicia towards the rule of Asturias.
*
777 - Abd ar-Rahman I suppresses an Abbasid-inspired revolt.
*
778 - The
Franks led by
Charlemagne attack
Zaragoza, but are forced to withdraw.
Basques ambush Charlemagne's army as it crosses the
Pyrenees out of Iberia. The Basques maul the Frankish rearguard, killing many of the commanders including the Breton Markgraf Hruotland (also called
Roland), and loot the baggage train.
*
781-
881 - 100-year intermitent insurrection against the
Muslims erupt in
Zaragoza from
781 to
881.
*
783 -
Mauregato the Usurper becomes King of
Asturias. He was an illegitimate son of
Alfonso I of Asturias, supposedly by a
Moorish woman.
*
785 - Building of the
Great Mosque of C贸rdoba begins on the grounds of a
Visigothic church; it is completed in
976.
*
788- Death of
Abd ar-Rahman I, founder of the
Umayyad Emirate of C贸rdoba. His successor is
Hisham I.
**
Bermudo I becomes King of
Asturias.
*
791 -
Alfonso II becomes King of Kingdom of Asturias|Asturias in
Oviedo and takes a number of Moorish strongholds and settles the lands south of the
Douro River.
**A Muslim force raids into
Galicia.
*
792 -
Hisham I,
Emir of C贸rdoba, calls for a
Jihad against the infidels in
Al-Andalus and
France. Tens of thousands from as far away as
Syria heed his call and cross the
Pyrenees to subjugate
France. Cities including
Narbonne are destroyed, but the invasion is ultimately halted at
Carcassone.
*
794 -
Asturians defeat the
Muslims at the Battle of
Lutos.
*
795 - An Umayyad force occupies
Astorga.
*
796 -
Al-Hakam I, becomes Emir of
C贸rdova.
*
798 - In a raid on Muslim lands,
Alfonso II of Asturias enters
Lisbon but cannot occupy it.
*
799 - The
Basques revolt and kill the local Muslim governor of
Pamplona.
*
800 -
Charlemagne takes
Barcelona. He is granted the title of "Holy Roman Emperor" by
Pope Leo III in order to guarantee his protection of
Rome against the invading
Lombards."
*
800 - A 10 year Rebellion againsts the Muslims breaks out in the fringes of
Al-Andalus (
Lisbon,
Merida,
Toledo). Each rebellion is bloodily suppressed by the central Islamic authorities.
*
801 -
Louis the Pious,
Charlemagne's son of
France takes Barcelona from the Moors.
**A frontier buffer between Frankish France and Muslim land is formed and is called the
Marca Hispanica (
Hispanic Border).
*
803 - Revolt of
Banu Qasi in
Tudela is suppressed.
*
805 - Insurrection against the Muslims erupts in
C贸rdoba and
Merida.
*
806 -
Frankish conquest of
Pamplona.
** After another revolt in
Toledo, 700 men, women and children are beheaded by the Muslims.
*
808 - Franks fail to take
Tortosa.
*
809 - An Umayyad prince defeats and executes
Tumlus, a Muslim rebel who had seized power in
Lisbon some years before.
*
811- Another insurrection against the Muslims erupts in Toledo lasting 8 years.
**
Charlemagne gains control of all of
Catalonia, which is designated "the Hispanic Mark" until
874.
*
813 - The grave of
James the Apostle is "discovered" near
Santiago de Compostela, in
Galicia, beginning the cult of St. James that would unite Iberian
Christians of many different petty kingdoms.
*
818 - The revolt in
C贸rdoba against the Muslims is punished by three days of massacres and pillage, with 300 notables crucified and 20,000 families expelled.
*
819 - The Franks suppress revolt in
Pamplona.
*
822 -
Abd-ar-Rahman II becomes
Emir of C贸rdoba.
*
824 -
Pamplona rebels again. The
Basques rebel again and destroy a Frankish army at the second
Battle of Roncesvalles.
Kingdom of Pamplona established.
*
825 -
Muslims attempt to invade
Christian territory from
Coimbra and
Viseu but are driven back.
*
827 -
Bernat of Septimania holds
Barcelona against
Gothic rebels who have
Umayyad assistance.
*
828 - Insurrection against the Muslims erupts in
Merida.
*
829 - Another insurrection in Merida.
*
839 -
Alfonso II of Asturias commands a military force in the region of
Viseu.
*
842 -
Ramiro I becomes King of
Asturias.
*
844- Vikings raid the
Galician estuaries, are defeated by Ramiro I, attack
Lisbon, and sack
Seville, but are shortly afterwards wiped-out by a Cordoban relief army.
**
Battle of Clavijo, a legendary battle between Christians led by Ramiro I of Asturias and Muslims, where
St. James is reputed to have aided the Christian Army.
*
848 - William, son of
Bernat of Septimania, seizes
Barcelona.
*
850 - Ordo帽o becomes King
Ordo帽o I of Asturias in
Oviedo. Beginning of Christian repopulation. Rise of the county of
Castile.
*
850-
859 -
Perfectus, a Christian priest in Muslim-ruled C贸rdoba, is beheaded after he refuses to retract numerous insults he made about
Muhammad. Numerous other priests, monks, and laity would follow as
Christians became caught up in a zest for martyrdom.
**Forty-eight Christians men and women in all are decapitated for refusing to convert or blaspheming Muhammad. They will be known as the
Martyrs of C贸rdoba.
*
852 - Death of
Abd ar-Rahman II.
**
Muhammad I becomes
Emir of C贸rdoba.
*
855 Ordono I captures
Le贸n from the Moors.
*
859 -
Vikings raid the Iberian coast. They capture and ransom King
Garcia I of
Pamplona.
*
859 -
Ordo帽o I of
Asturias defeats
Musa ibn Musa at
Albelda.
*
866 -
Alfonso III the Great, son of Ordo帽o I of Asturias, becomes King of
Asturias. He initiates the repopulation of
Porto,
Coimbra,
Viseu and
Lamego.
*
868 - Establishment of the first county of
Portugal, a
fiefdom of the
Kingdom of Asturias, by count
V铆mara Peres, after the reconquest from the
Moors of the region between the
Minho and
Douro Rivers. Count V铆mara Peres founded the fortified city that bears his own name
Vimaranis, later
Guimaranis, present day
Guimar茫es, considered "The Cradle City" of Portugal.
**Insurrection against the Muslims erupts in
Merida.
*
870 - Battle of
Padura/
Arrigorriaga between the
Basques led by
Lope Fort煤n, first lord of
Biscay and
Sancho de Estigiz, lord of
Durango, and the
Leonese led by Prince Ordo帽o, the son of King Alfonso III and future King
Ordo帽o II.
*
871 - The city of
Coimbra is retaken from the Moors.
Hermenegildo Mendes is made Count of Coimbra.
*
873 - Over the next 25 years
Wilfred the Hairy,
Count of Barcelona, sets up a Christian kingdom with a certain degree of independence from the
Frankish kings.
*
878 - The region of
Coimbra (today, Central Portugal) is incorporated in the
Kingdom of Asturias by the Count
Hermenegildo Guterres.
*
886 -
Al-Mundhir becomes
Emir of C贸rdoba.
** Revolts in
Al-Andalus continue till
912*
888 -
Abdallah ibn Muhammad becomes
Emir of C贸rdoba.
*
905 -
Sancho I of Pamplona creates a
Basque kingdom centered in
Navarre.
*
909 -
Alfonso III of Le贸n is deposed by his sons yet also proclaimed Emperor.
*
910 - Alfonso III dies and his kingdom is divided among his sons into the dependent kingdoms of
Ast煤rias,
Le贸n, and
Galicia.
**
Ordo帽o II becomes King of
Galicia with the support of the Count of
Portugal.
*
912 -
Abd al-Rahman III becomes the
Emir of C贸rdoba. Every spring, Muslims launch raiding campaigns against the Christian frontier.
*
913 - An expedition commanded by
Ordo帽o II of Le贸n takes
脡vora (
Talavera) from the Muslims.
*
914 -
Ordo帽o II of
Galicia becomes King of
Le贸n after the death of his brother
Garcia I of Le贸n.
**The capital city of the
Kingdom of Asturias is moved from
Oviedo to
Le贸n, becomes
Kingdom of Le贸n.
*
916 -
Ordo帽o II is defeated by Emir Abd al-Rahman III in
Valdejunquera.
*
917 - Battle of
San Esteban de Gormaz.
Ordo帽o II defeats an army under Emir Abd al-Rahman III.
*
918 -
Battle of Talavera where Muslims under
Abd al-Rahman III defeat the Christians.
**
Pope John X recognizes the orthodoxy and legitimacy of the
Visigothic Liturgy maintained in the
Mozarabic rite.
*
920 -
Battle of Valdejunquera, where the armies of
Abd al-Rahman III defeat the armies of the
Kingdom of Le贸n.
*
920 - Muslim forces cross the
Pyrenees, enter
Gascony, and reach as far as the gates of
Toulouse. The garrison of
Muez is killed.
*
923 - The city of
Pamplona is destroyed by Muslim forces.
*
924 -
Fruela II becomes King of
Le贸n.
*
925 -
Sancho Ordonhes, son of
Ordo帽o II, becomes vassal king of
Galicia until
929.
**
Alfonso IV becomes King of
Le贸n.
**
Ramiro II, son of Ordo帽o II, was the first to bear the title
King of Portuguese Land.
*
926 -
Ramiro II of Leon takes residency in the city of
Viseu.
*
929 -
Abd al-Rahman III, faced with the threat of invasion by the
Fatimids, proclaims himself
Caliph of C贸rdoba, breaking all ties with the
Abbasid Caliphate in
Baghdad. Under the reign of Abd al-Rahman III
Muslim Al-Andalus reaches its greatest height before its slow decline over the next four centuries.
*
930 - Over the next 20 years
Ramiro II, King of Le贸n, defeats
Abd al-Rahman III at
Simancas,
Osma, and
Talavera.
**
Ramiro II leaves his residency in
Viseu.
*
931 -
Ramiro II becomes King of
Le贸n.
*
933 -
Battle of Osma where
Castilian-
Le贸nese troops, under
Count Fernan Gonzalez, defeat the Muslim army of
Abd al-Rahman III.
*
939 -
Battle of Simancas where
Ramiro II of Leon defeats
Abd al-Rahman III.
Christians defeat
Al-nasir at Alhandega.
*
939 -
Madrid is recaptured from
Muslim forces. The encounter between the two rulers finally took place in 939, when, at the so-called ditch of Simancas (Shant Mankus),
Ramiro II severely defeated the Muslims, and
Abd al-Rahman III narrowly escapes with his life. After that defeat
Abd al-Rahman III resolved never to take personal charge of another expedition
*
940 -
Hugh, Count of
Provence, gives his protection to
Moors in
St. Tropez if they agree to keep the
Alpine passes closed to his rival
Berenger.
*
946 - The county of
Castile becomes a Kingdom.
*
950 -
Ordonho III becomes King of
Le贸n.
*
953 -
Emperor Otto I sends representatives to
C贸rdoba to ask
Caliph Abd al-Rahman III to call off some Muslim raiders who had set themselves up in Alpine passes and are attacking merchant caravans going in and out of
Italy.
**Big
Moorish incursion in
Galicia.
*
955 -
Ordonho III of Le贸n attacks
Lisbon.
*
956 -
Sancho I becomes King of
Le贸n.
*
958 -
Sancho I of Le贸n is deposed.
**
Ordonho IV becomes King of
Le贸n.
*
960 -
Hasdai ben Shaprut, the personal physician of Caliphs
Abd al-Rahman III and
Al-Hakam II, and inspector-general of customs and an adviser in foreign affairs, begins a correspondence with Joseph, the Jewish King of
Khazaria.
**
Sancho I of Le贸n is reinstated as King of
Le贸n.
*
961 -
Al-Hakam II becomes
Umayyad Caliph of C贸rdoba.
*
962 - Count
Gon莽alo Mendes da Maia of
Portugal rebels against
Sancho I of Le贸n.
*
966 - Count
Gon莽alo Moniz of
Coimbra rebels against
Sancho I of Le贸n.
**
Vikings raid
Galicia and kill the bishop of
Santiago de Compostela in battle, but his successor
St. Rudesind rallies the local forces and kills the
Viking King Gundered.
*
967 -
Ramiro III becomes King of
Le贸n.
*
971 - Another minor
Viking raid in
Galicia.
*
974 - A
Cordoban expedition under
Ibn Tumlus crushes a rebellion in
Seville.
*
976 -
Caliph Al-Hakam II dies, and
Al-Mansur takes over in the name of his prot茅g茅
Hisham II, becoming a military dictator usurping caliphal powers and lauching a big number of offensive campaignes against the Christians. The
Christians take advantage of the resulting confusion and commence raids into Muslim territory.
**
Al-Mansur sacks
Barcelona.
*
977 -
Al-Mansur volunteers to lead the army against the
Christians, and is successful.
*
981 -
Al-Mansur defeats his old friend
Ghalib in a confused battle near
Atienza.
Al-Mansur force includes
Berbers,
Christian mercenaries, and
Andalusian troops from
Zaragoza under
Man ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Tujibi.
Ghalib's force includes Andalusians and a
Castilian contingent under the Count
Garcia I Fernandez. Ghalib is killed in the battle.
Al-Mansur subsequently kills off both
Ibn al-Andalusi and
Man ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Tujibi.
**
Ramiro III of Leon is defeated by
Al-Mansur at
Rueda and is obliged to pay tribute to the
Caliph of C贸rdoba.
*
982 -
Bermudo II becomes King of
Le贸n, having been acclaimed by the Counts of
Galicia and anointed in
Santiago de Compostela.
*
983 - After failing in a rebellion in the
Maghreb, the
Berber Chief
Zawi ibn Ziri, of the
Tunisian royal family, brings a formidable force of
Sanhaja horsemen to join
Al-Mansur. However, they are not allowed to cross the straits for many years (sometime 1002-1008).
*
985 - Under
Al-Mansur and subsequently his son,
Christian cities are subjected to numerous raids.
*
985 -
Al-Mansur sacks
Barcelona.
*
986 -
Al-Mansur burns down the monastery of
San Cugat de Valles.
*
987 -
Al-Mansur lays waste to
Christian Coimbra.
**
Al-Mansur seizes the castles north of the
Douro River, and arrives at the city of
Santiago de Compostela. The city had been evacuated and Al-Mansur burns it to the ground.
**
Al-Mansur has the
basilica doors and bells of the
Christian shrine of
Santiago de Compostela taken to the
C贸rdoba Mosque and has the rest of the Church destroyed.
**Count
Gon莽alo Mendes da Maia takes the personal title
Magnus Dux Portucalensium (Grand-Duke of
Portugal) and rebels against King
Bermudo II of Le贸n, being defeated.
*
988 -
Al-Mansur razes
Le贸n to the ground. He sacks Leon, Zamora, and Sahagun, and sets fire to the great monasteries of Eslonza and Sahagun.
*
989 -
Al-Mansur seizes Osma.
*
994 - The monastery of
Monte Cassino is destroyed a second time by the
Moors.
*
995 - Despite stout resistance by the
Beni-Gomez clan -
Christian counts of
Salda帽a,
Li茅bana,
Carrion, and
Zamora -
Al-Mansur destroys their capital, the city of
Santa Maria de Carrion.
*
997 - Under the leadership of
Al-Mansur, Muslim forces march out of the city of
C贸rdoba and head north to capture
Christian lands.
*
998 -
Wadih, a
Slav and the best Andalusian commander of the time, takes Fez in
Morocco with a large force.
*
999 -
Alfonso V becomes King of
Le贸n.
**Muslims briefly attempt to establish a garrison at
Zamora.
*
999-
1018 -
Alfonso V of Leon reconstructs his kingdoms.
*
1000 -
Sancho III of Navarre, inflicts major losses on the Muslims, and nearly clinches a remarkable victory.
*
1000-
1033 -
Sancho III of Navarre gains control of
Aragon and
Castile, uniting the three kingdoms. But on his death, he splits the kingdom and leaves
Navarre to his son
Garcia III,
Castile to
Fernando I, and
Aragon to
Ramiro I.
*
1002-
1008 -
Al-Mansur's son
Al-Muzaffar conducts annual raids against the
Christians.
*
1002 -
Al-Mansur raids into
La Rioja.
**
Al-Mansur's army is crushed by a coalition of
Christian armies at the
Battle of Calata帽azor **
Al-Mansur dies from his wounds in the village of
Salem.
** Power in
Al-Andalus subsequently divided between the old
Arab nobility, the
Berber mercenaries, and the
Slav slaves.
*
1003 -
Moors lay waste to the city of
Le贸n.
*
1004 -
Arab raiders sack the
Italian city of
Pisa.
*
1008 - On the death of
al-Muzaffar,
Abd al-Rahman ibn Al-Mansur, another son of
Al-Mansur, takes over the role of unofficial ruler. In winter he leads his army against the
Christians.
**
Vikings raid
Galicia, killing Count
Gon莽alo Mendes da Maia of
Portugal.
**
Muhammad II 鈥" great-grandson of
Abd al-Rahman III 鈥" deposes
Hisham II as Caliph and destroys
Al-Mansur's palace complex of al-Madinat al-Zahira near
C贸rdoba.
**
Mohammed II al-Mahdi becomes
Umayyad Caliph of C贸rdoba.
**The period of
anarchy over the next 23 years out of which emerged approximately two dozen small states.
*
1009 - Muslims lay waste to
Le贸n again.
**The
Berbers are expelled from
C贸rdoba and set up camp at
Calatrava. Their Generals nominate another descendent of
Abd al-Rahman III 鈥" Sulayman al-Mustain 鈥" as a rival Caliph.
**
Suleiman seeks the aid of Count
Sancho I Garces of
Castile against
Mohammed II of Umayyad. The joint
Berber-
Castilian army defeats the
Andalusian militia of Muhammad II and sacks
C贸rdoba.
**
Sulaiman al-Mustain becomes
Umayyad Caliph of C贸rdoba as Suleiman II, after deposing
Mohammed II.
**The
Taifa (independent
Moorish kingdom) of
Badajoz becames independent of the
Caliph of C贸rdoba and governs the territory between
Coimbra and North
Alentejo.
*
1010**Having fled to
Toledo Mohammed II seeks the aid of
Ramon Borell,
Count of Barcelona and Urgel. The
Catalan army defeats
Sulaiman II's
Berbers at Aqabat al-Baqar and again near the river Guadiaro (near Ronda).
**
Mohammed II reclaims
C贸rdoba supported by the
Slav General
al-Wadih, but is assassinated.
**
Hisham II is restored as
Umayyad Caliph of C贸rdoba by slave troops of the Caliphate under
al-Wahdid.
*
1012 -
Berber forces capture
C贸rdoba and order that half the population be executed.
**
Sulaiman II is restored as
Umayyad Caliph of C贸rdoba by the
Berber armies.
*
1013 - A
Berber reign of terror in
C贸rdoba that kills the deposed
Hisham II.
**The powerless
Sulaiman II is forced to hand out provincial governorships to the
Berber chiefs.
**
Jews are expelled from the
Umayyad Caliphate of C贸rdoba, then ruled by
Suleiman II.
**
Halevi flees to
Malaga when
Suleiman attacks
C贸rdoba.
**
Halevi becomes vizier to the Emir of
Granada, as does his son,
Jehoseph Ha-Nagid. Many other
Jews flee to Granada.
**
Caliphate of C贸rdoba begins to break up. Many
Taifas (independent
Moorish kingdoms) begin to spring up.
*
1014 - The
Berber chief
Zawi ibn Ziri 鈥" leader of the
Sanhaja confederation, and a member of the
Tunisian royal family 鈥" makes
Granada his capital.
*
1015 - The
Emir of
Denia,
Mujahid al-Amiri, sets out from his base in the
Balearic Islands with a fleet of 125 ships in an attempt to take
Sardinia.
*
1016 -
Norman invaders ascend the
Minho river and destroy
Tuy in
Galicia.
**
Ali ibn Hammud,
Emir of
Ceuta, declares himself the rightful
Caliph and marches on
C贸rdoba. A
Berber general deposes and executes Caliph
Suleiman II.
**
Mujahid al-Amiri is dislodged from
Sardinia by a force from
Genoa and
Pisa.
*
1018 - Self-proclaimed
Caliph Ali ibn Hammud assassinated in
C贸rdoba. His brother
Al-Qasim replaces him. The
Zirids of
Granada defeat an
Andalusian army of 4,000 under
Abd ar-Rahman IV al-Mutada - the
Umayyad claimant.
**The
Taifa of the
Algarve becomes independent.
*
1021 - Abd-ar-Rahman IV becomes
Umayyad Caliph of C贸rdoba.
**
Yahya, the son of
Al铆 ibn Hammud, rebels in
Malaga with the support of the
Berbers.
*
1022 -
Abd-ar-Rahman V becomes
Umayyad Caliph of C贸rdoba with the support of
Berber troops.
**The
Taifa (independent
Moorish kingdom) of
Lisbon emerges. It will be anexated by the Taifa of
Badajoz.
*
1023 -
Muhammad III becomes
Umayyad Caliph of C贸rdoba with the support of
Berber troops.
**The
Abbadid Emir of
Seville,
Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Abbad, declares independence from
Muhammad III,
Umayyad Caliph of C贸rdoba.
*
1025 -
Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Abbad,
Abbadid Emir of
Seville, captures two castles at Alaf玫es to the north-west of
Viseu.
*
1027 -
Hisham III becomes
Umayyad Caliph of C贸rdoba.
*
1028 -
Alfonso V, king of
Asturias and
Le贸n, lays siege to
Viseu but is killed by a bolt from the walls.
**
Bermudo III, becomes King of
Le贸n.
*
1031 -
Sancho III of Navarre declares war on
Bermudo III of Le贸n.
Navarre, sometimes assisted by Galician rebels and
Normans, ravages the lands around
Lugo in
Galicia.
**The
Moorish Caliphate of C贸rdoba falls.
|
Fragmentation of Iberia in the year 1031 CE |
*
1031 - The
Moorish Caliphate of C贸rdoba falls.
**
Hisham III, the last of the
Umayyad Caliphs disappears into obscurity.
**King
Sancho III of Navarre takes
Le贸n and
Astorga and drives King
Bermudo III of Le贸n into the mountains.
*
1033 - The
Taifa (independent
Moorish kingdom) of
M茅rtola becomes independent.
*
1034 - The Leonese destroy a raiding force under
Ismail ibn Abbad of
Seville. Ismail ibn Abbad flees to
Lisbon.
**
Gon莽alo Trastemires 鈥" a
Portuguese frontiersman 鈥" captures
Montemor castle on the
Mondego river.
**By this time,
Sancho III the Great had incorporated
Aragon,
Sobrarbe,
Barcelona, as well as
Asturias,
Le贸n and
Castile, and he proclaims himself
Rex Hispaniarum ("King of all Spains").
*
1035 -
Sancho III of Navarre dies.
Bermudo III of Le贸n reclaims the Le贸nese crown, and Sancho's sons inherit his other territories; Garcia IV in Navarre including some territory of Old Castile; Ferdinand I in the new kingdom of Castile; Ramiro I in the new kingdom of Aragon.
**
Castile and
Aragon become kingdoms.
**Over the next 28 years
Ferdinand I of Leon takes
Coimbra and obliges the Muslims of
Toledo,
Seville, and
Badajoz to pay him tribute. Before his death, he divides his territories between his sons:
Castile goes to
Sancho II and
Leon to
Alfonso VI of Castile.
**
Bermudo III of Le贸n defeats the
Moors in
C茅sar, in the
Aveiro region.
*
1037 -
Ferdinand of Castile, son of
Sancho III of Navarre, acquires the
Kingdom of Le贸n in the
Battle of Tamar贸n. The first Castilian king, Ferdinand I, defeats and kills his father-in-law,
Bermudo III of Le贸n, thus inheriting his kingdom.
*
1038 -
Granadine armies under the
vizier wage almost continuous war against their
Muslim neighbours, primarily
Seville.
*
1039 鈥"
Ferdinand I of Castile-Le贸n proclaimes himself
Emperor of all Hispania.
*
1040 - The
Taifa of
Silves becomes independent.
*
1043 -
Zaragoza and
Toledo fight over the border city of
Guadalajara. Toledo pays the
Navarrese to raid into
Zaragoza; similarly, Zaragoza pays the
Le贸n-
Castilians to raid into Toledo. The
Christian armies ravage the respective
Muslim lands unchecked.
**
Rodrigo Diaz Vivar, whom the
Muslims would name "El Cid Campeador" (Lord Winner of Battles) is born in
Burgos.
*
1044 -
Abbad III al-Mu'tamid, son of the
Abbadid Emir of
Seville Abbad II al-Mu'tadid, retakes
M茅rtola, since
1033 an independent
Taifa.
*
1050 - Count
Mendo Nunes of
Portugal is killed in battle sometime during this period.
Nuno Mendes, son of Count
Mendo Nunes, becomes Count of
Portugal.
*
1051 -
Yusuf ibn Hud, the
Banu Hud Emir of
Lerida, is paying the
Catalans to protect against his own family in
Zaragoza.
**The
Taifa of the
Algarve is anexated by the
Taifa of
Seville.
*
1053 -
Emir Al-Mutadid of
Seville drives
Berbers from Arcos, Mor贸n and Ronda.
*
1053鈥"
1071 -
Book of Usage is written in
Barcelona, defining legal status and privileges of
Jews. It put the protection of the
Jews under the
King, who would decide the punishment for any harming or killing a Jew.
Castile has similar laws.
*
1054 -
Battle of Atapuerca. The army of
Ferdinand I of Castile defeats that of his brother
Garc铆a IV of Navarra, near
Burgos). Several disaffected Navarrese knights join the Castilians before the battle and one of these men is believed to have killed Garcia. Garcia's son Sancho is proclaimed King on the field of battle and the war continues.
**
Diego Lainez de Vivar, father of
Rodrigo Diaz, captures the castles of
Ubierna (5 miles north of
Vivar),
Urbel (10 miles north-west of
Ubierna), and
La Piedra (12 miles north-west of
Ubierna), then in 1055 defeats the
Navarrese in a pitched battle.
*
1055 - Emir
Al-Mutadid of
Seville drives
Berbers from
Algeciras.
*
1056 - The
Almoravides (al-Murabitun) Dynasty begins its rise to power. Taking the name "those who line up in defense of the faith", this is a group of fundamentalist
Berber Muslims who would rule
North Africa and Islamic
Iberia until
1147.
*
1057 - Emir
Al-Mutadid of
Seville drives
Berbers from
Carmona.
**
Ferdinand I of Castile-Le贸n takes
Lamego from the
Moors.
*
1058-
Emir Al-Muzaffar al-Aftas (Abu Bekr Muhammad al-Mudaffar - Modafar I of Badajoz, Aftid Dynasty) pays the Christians to leave
Badajoz, but not before
Ferdinand I of Castile-Le贸n takes
Viseu.
*
1060鈥"
1063 - Council (Ecumenical
Synod) of
Santiago de Compostela.
*
1060 - The heretic
Berghouata Berbers set up a
Taifa in
Ceuta, but are eventually crushed by the
Murabitun.
**
Ferdinand I of Leon imposes an annual tribute on
Muslim Zaragoza. Emir Al-Muktadir ibn Hud of
Zaragoza drives Slavs from
Tortosa when the Tortosans rise against their Slav ruler.
*
1062 -
Ferdinand I of Castile and Le贸n invades Muslim
Toledo with a large army. Emir
Al-Mamun becomes a tributary of
Castile.
Ferdinand I of Castile and
Le贸n invades Muslim
Badajoz, and extracts tribute from Emir
Al-Mutadid of
Seville.
*
1063 -
Battle of Graus. During spring,
Ramiro I of Aragon besieges Muslim Graus in
Zaragozan territory. The Emir
al-Muqtadir of
Zaragoza leads his army north accompanied by a Castilian contingent under Prince Sancho (the future Sancho II). Rodrigo D铆az de Vivar later known as
El Cid is probably in the
Castilian contingent. The opposing armies meet and after a protracted struggle Ramiro I is killed and the Aragonese flee (
8 May 1063). Pope Alexander II sends an international force to Spain under his standard bearer William of Montreuil. It includes Italian knights, Normans (Robert Crespin, Baron of Lower Normandy), Frenchmen (Wiliam, Count of
Poitiers and Duke of
Aquitaine), and Iberians (Bishop of
Vic; Count
Ermengol II of
Urgel). At the start of July the expedition besieges
Barbastro in the Muslim Kingdom of
Lerida. The Emir of Lerida (the brother of
Muktadir of
Zaragoza) makes no attempt to relieve the siege and after 40 days the defenders are forced to surrender when a large stone falls from the walls and blocks the only water supply. 50,000 inhabitants are massacred or enslaved. Count
Ermengol II of
Urgel is left as governor on behalf of
Sancho Ramirez of
Aragon.
Seville feels obliged to pay
Christians tribute.
**The
Taifa of
Seville annexes the
Taifa of
Silves.
*
1064 - Some time during this period
Ferdinand I of Castile and Le贸n retakes the area of
Old Castile that had been annexed to
Navarre by his father
Sancho the Great.
**
Ferdinand I of Le贸n-Castile besieges
Muslim Coimbra from
20 January 1064 until
9 July 1064. The Muslim governor who surrendered is allowed to leave with his family, but 5,000 inhabitants are taken captive, and all Muslims are forced out of
Portuguese territory across the
Mondego river.
**The
Mozarabic (
Christian) general
Sisnando Davides, who lead the siege of
Coimbra, becomes Count of
Coimbra.
**The
Hispanic calendar is adopted.
*
1065 - Civil War in Castile-Le贸n. In April Emir
Al-Muqtadir of
Zaragoza, aided by 500
Sevillian knights, besieges
Barbastro. The governor, Count Ermengol II of Urgel, is killed in a sortie, and a few days later the city falls, whereupon the Iberian and French garrison is put to the sword, thus bringing an end to
Pope Alexander II's prototype crusade. At around the same time Emir
Al-Muqtadir breaks off relationships with Castile, and
Ferdinand I leads a punitive expedition into
Zaragoza - taking
Alquezar - and then into
Valencia. Despite him being a tributaryof
Castile, Emir Mamun of
Toledo leads to force in support of his son-in-law Emir Abd al-Malik. Mamun subsequently dethrones Abd al-Malik and incorporates
Valencia into the Kingdom of
Toledo. Ferdinand falls dangerously ill and retires from the field.
King Ferdinand dies in
Le贸n on
28 December 1065, and his empire is divided between his three sons:
Sancho II in
Castile,
Alfonso VI in
Le贸n, and
Garcia in
Galicia.
*
1065 - Independence of the
Kingdom of Galicia and Portugal is proclaimed under the rule of
Garcia II of Galicia.
*
1066 - Joseph, son of the Jewish Vizier Samuel HaNaged, invites
Al-Mutasim of
Almer铆a to come and rule in
Granada. The
Zirids of
Sanhaja defeat the attempt and instigate a
pogrom of the
Jews in Granada.
**Joseph Ha-Nagid and other
Jews in Granada are attacked and murdered; many escapees flee to the north.
**The
Jews of Granada are
massacred by the Muslims.
*
1067 - The Castilian army under Sancho II and the Alferez Rodrigo D铆az de Vivar 鈥" already known as
El Cid by this time 鈥" besiege
Zaragoza. The siege is lifted after Emir
Al-Muqtadir pays a large ransom and promises tribute. War of the three Sanchos:
Castile versus
Aragon and
Navarre. Aragon severely mauls the Castilians at
Viana, however status quo is restored when the Zaragozan
Vali of Huesca invades Aragon from the south.
*
1068 - The Battle of
Llantada was arranged to be fought on
19 July 1068 by the banks of the
Pisuerga River on the boundary between
Le贸n and
Castile. The Castilians under Sancho II and Rodrigo Diaz defeat the Le贸nese and Alfonso flees.
Alfonso VI of Le贸n leads a campaign against
Badajoz, but withdraws when Emir Mamun ibn Dhi-I-Nun of
Toledo intercedes. Badajoz becomes tributary to Le贸n. Later the Emir of Badajoz dies and his two sons dispute the succession.
*
1069 - Alfonso VI of Le贸n overruns
Badajoz early in the year.
Seville takes
C贸rdoba. The army consists of an advance guard of 300 horses and a main body of 1000.
*
1070 - Count
Nuno Mendes of Portugal rises against King
Garcia II of Galicia.
*
1071 -
Battle of Pedroso (between
Braga and the River
C谩vado) where
Garcia II of Galicia suppresses the rebellion of his
Portuguese subjects under Count
Nuno Mendes, last count of Portugal of the
V铆mara Peres House. Count Nuno Mendes is killed and
Garcia II of Galicia proclaims himself King of
Portugal. Sometime after
18 January 1071 and before May, Garcia II of Galicia is captured by his brother Sancho II of Castile (It is unclear if Garcia was captured in open battle at
Santar茅m or by trickery). Garcia purchases his release and retires to the court of his tributary
Al-Mutamid of
Seville. Galicia is divided between his brothers Sancho and Alfonso.
*
1072 - Battle of
Golpejera.
Sancho II of Castile defeats his brother, Alfonso VI of Le贸n over the
Carri贸n River (9 miles south of the city of
Santa Maria de Carrion 鈥" the capital of the
Beni-Gomez 鈥"
Christian counts of
Salda帽a,
Liebana,
Carrion, and
Zamora). The battle starts at dawn and after a hard fight the Castilians are driven from the field.
Rodrigo D铆az de Vivar manages to encourage both King and army, and leads them in a new attack the following morning. Alfonso is captured and seeks refuge in Toledo. But Sancho is assassinated when attacking Alfonso's men in Zamora. Alfonso inherits the joint Kingdom of Leon-Castile.
*
1073 - The Emir of Granada rejects the Castilian demand for tribute, however,
Abbad III al-Mu'tamid, the Emir of
Seville offers to pay instead. Consequently a joint Muslim-Castilian force builds the fortress of
Belillos, from which the garrison raid into
Granada.
*
1074 -
El Cid marries Jimena, niece of
Alfonso IV of Castile and daughter of the Count of
Oviedo.
**Emir
Al-Mutamid of
Seville drives
Berbers from
Jaen.
*
1075 -
Toledo takes
C贸rdoba from
Seville with the help of
Castilian troops.
*
1076 - Emir Ahmad
al-Muqtadir drives
Slavs from
Denia.
Ferdinand I of Le贸n-Castile besieges Muslims and takes
Coria in
Badajoz. After the Emir of Toledo dies, Seville takes C贸rdoba back from his son al-Qadir.
*
1077 -
Alfonso VI of Castile and
Le贸n proclaimes himself
Emperor of all Spains.
*
1078 - Ibn Ammar acquires
Murcia nominally on behalf of
Seville but in reality as his own. Seville takes
Valencia from
Toledo. As a result Al-Qadir of Toledo is forced from the city by a coup and his opponents acknowledge al-Mutawwakil of
Badajoz as their new ruler. The Al-
Murabitun (
Almoravides) take
Tangier.
Ceuta hangs on as the last
Zanata outpost because its fleet can supply it from sea.
*
1079 - Battle of
Cabra.
Rodrigo D铆az, defeats the Emir Abd Allah of
Granada, who was helped by the Castilian Count Garc铆a Ord铆帽ez.
*Battle of
Coria. Alfonso VI (already king of Castile and Le贸n) defeats the Muslim Emir of
Badajoz, Al-Mutawwakkil. Al-Mutawwakkil renounces control of
Toledo and al-Qadir is reinstated. A
Leonese garrison is established at
Zorita to the east of
Toledo.
*
1080 - Ibn Ammar forced to flee
Murcia (??).
*
1081 -
El Cid, now a mercenary because he had been exiled by Alfonso IV of Castile, enters the service of the Moorish king of the northeast Spanish city of Zaragosa, al-Mu'tamin, and would remain there for his successor, al-Mu'tamin II.
*
1082 - Battle of
Almenar.
Rodrigo D铆az de Vivar, leading the army of Al-Mutamin of
Zaragoza, defeats a combined army of the kings of
Valencia (Al-Mundhir),
Lerida (Al-Hayib),
Arag贸n (Sancho Ram铆rez), and the Count of
Barcelona (
Berenguer Ram贸n II, who is captured). When Emir Al-Mutamid of
Seville pays his tribute in debased coinage, Alfonso of Leon-Castile leads an expedition in Muslim territory.
*
1083 - In June-July Al-
Murabitun take
Ceuta - the last outpost of the
Zanata - and put to death the ruler, al-Muizz ibn Suqut. Ships from
Seville may have aided the attack. The same summer Alfonso of Leon-Castile reaches
Tarifa overlooking the
Straits of Gibraltar.
*
1084 - The Muslim army of
Zaragoza under
El Cid defeats the Aragonese. In autumn the
Castilians start a loose siege of
Toledo.
*
1085 -
Christians take
Salamanca.
**
Castile under
Alfonso VI of Castile,
Emperor of all Spains, takes
Toledo. Joseph Nasi Ferruziel (called
Cidellus) is Alfonso VI's physician and Nasi of all the
Jews in the kingdom. He owns large estates in and around Toledo, confiscated by the crown on his death.
*
1086 - Several
Muslim Emirs (namely
Abbad III al-Mu'tamid) ask the
Almoravides leader
Yusuf ibn Tashfin for help against
Alfonso VI of Castile. In this year Yusuf ibn Tashfin passed the straits to
Algeciras and inflicted a severe defeat on the
Christians at the
Battle of az-Zallaqah (North of
Badajoz). He was debarred from following up his victory by trouble in
North Africa which he had to settle in person.
**
Raymond of Burgundy, son of
William I, Count of Burgundy, comes to
Iberia for the 1st time to fight against the
Moors, bringing with him his younger cousin
Henry of Burgundy, grandson of
Robert I, Duke of Burgundy.
**In spring the Castilians besiege
Zaragoza, but the siege is called off when the
Murabitun land in the south. In June the
Murabitun advance guard of 500 men take possession of
Algeciras. The remaining 12鈥"20,000 soon follow. Castilians under Alvar Fa帽ez install al-Qadir as Emir of
Valencia.
**Fanatic Muslims, the
Almoravides, rampage through parts of Iberia, especially
Granada and
Lucena. There are persecutions and massacres. During the bad times, the wealthier
Jews flee to
Christian-held Iberia.
**The
Christian advance obliges the Muslim kings of
Granada,
Seville and
Badajoz to call to their aid the
Almoravides.
**
Battle of az-Zallaqah: At
Sagrajas (Friday
23 October 1086) north-east of
Badajoz, the
Murabitun (12,000 or 20,000 men) under
Yusuf ibn Tashfin and
Andalusians (including Kings of
Seville,
Granada,
Malaga, and
Badajoz) defeat a predominantly Leonese-Castilian army (possibly 50-60,000 men including
Jews,
Aragonese,
Italian and
French) under
Alfonso VI of Castile. The Andalusians encamp separately from the
Murabitun. The
Christian vanguard (Alvar Fa帽ez) surprise the Andalusian camp before dawn; the men of Seville (Al-Mutamid) hold firm but the remaining Andalusians are chased off by the Aragonese cavalry. The
Christian main body then attacks the
Murabitun, but are held by the Lamtuma, and then withdraw to their own camp in response to an outflanking move by ibn Tashufin. The
Aragonese return to the field, do not like what they see, and start a withdraw which turns to a rout. The Andalusians rally, and the Muslims drive Alfonso to a small hill. Alfonso and 500 knights escape in the night to
Toledo. Al-Mutamid proposes that the
Christians are pursued and crushed, but Ibn Tashufin retires back to his African domains leaving only 3,000 troops to defend the east of
Al-Andalus. Al-Mutamid and the
Murabitun generals Sir ibn Abi Bakr and Dawud ibn Aisha are reported to have fought well during the battle.
*
1087 -
Alfonso VI of Castile takes the fortress of
Aledo in the territory of
Murcia, blocking the route from
Seville and
Granada to the eastern provinces.
**After his crushing defeat at
Zallaqa,
Alfonso VI of Castile swallows his pride and recalls
El Cid from exile.
*
1088 -
Yusuf ibn Tashfin arrives back in
Algeciras (May-June) and is joined by al-Mutamid of
Seville and Abd Allah of
Granada, plus support from
Almer铆a and
Murcia (but not the Emirs). The combined army besieges
Aledo for 4 months, but
Yusuf ibn Tashfin returns to Africa unsuccessful.
*
1090 -
Yusuf ibn Tashfin returns to the Peninsula for the third time, takes over the kingdoms of
Granada and
Malaga in September and is back in Africa by the end of the year. However, this time his nephew Sir ibn Abi Bakr is left to continue the conquest. Between
30 April 1090 and
8 May 1090,
Christian troops enter
Santar茅m,
Lisbon and
Sintra. These were recently ceded by the Al-Mutawwakil of
Badajoz in return for protection from the
Murabitun.
**
Yusuf ibn Tashfin, King of the
Almoravids, captures Granada.
*
1091 The
Murabitun led by Muhammad ibn al-Hajj take
C贸rdoba and the
Guadalquivir valley early in the year, and then defeat a
Castilian force under
Alva Fa帽ez who were attempting to aid Al-Mutamid of
Seville. In September Seville surrenders without much of a fight to Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. Subsequently other
Murabitun armies take Aledo and Almeria. Ronda also falls and the
Murabitun commander Garur executes al-Radi (the son al-Mutamid of Seville).
**
Alfonso VI of Castile gives her daughter
Urraca of Castile in marriage to
Raymond of Burgundy together with the fiefdom of
Galicia.
**The
Taifa of
M茅rtola falls to the
Almoravides.
*
1092 - With
El Cid away in
Zaragoza, the
Valencians under the qadi Ibn Jahhaf and supported by a small
Murabitun force, drive the Castilian garrison out and execute their Emir al-Qadir. Ibn Jahhaf promptly sets himself up at Emir and starts negotiating with both
El Cid and the
Murabitun.
**
Toledo falls to the
Reconquista and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter
*
1093 - An
Murabitun army (Abu Bakr ibn Ibrahiim) approaches Valencia but then retreats without striking a blow.
**
Raymond of Burgundy and
Henry of Burgundy sign a treaty whereby Henry promises to recognize Raymond as king upon the death of
Alfonso VI of Castile, receiving in exchange the Kingdom of
Toledo or of
Portugal.
*
1094 -
Alfonso VI of Castile grants
Henry of Burgundy the government of
Portugal and
Coimbra, who marries
Alfonso VI of Castile's illegimate daughter
Teresa of Le贸n.
**
Almoravid Sir ibn Abi Bakr takes
Badajoz and
Lisbon. Fall of the
Taifa of Badajoz.
**
El Cid captures
Valencia from the
Moors, carving out his own kingdom along the
Mediterranean that is only nominally subservient to Alfonso VI of
Castile. Valencia would be both
Christian and
Muslim, with adherents of both religions serving in his army.
**The
Almoravids from
Morocco land near
Cuarte and lay siege to
Valencia with 50,000 men.
El Cid, however, breaks the siege and forces the
Almoravids to flee 鈥" the first
Christian victory against the hard-fighting
Africans.
*
1095 - Establishment of the 2nd
County of Portugal by Count
Henry of Burgundy.
**The
Almoravides take
Santar茅m.
*
1097 -
El Cid defeats
Murabitun (Ali ibn al-Hajj) at
Bairen south of
Valencia.
**
Murabitun (Muhammad ibn al-Hajj) defeat Castilians (Alfonso VI) at Consuegra. El Cid's son, Diego, is one of the dead.
**
Murabitun (Muhammad ibn Aisha) defeat Castilians (Alva Fa帽ez) at Cuenca before ravaging the lands of
Valencia.
**
Yusuf ibn Tashfin assumes the title of
Amir al Muslimin (Prince of the Muslims).
*
1099 - The
Murabitun besiege
El Cid's
Valencia, where he dies on
10 July 1099.
*
1100 Molina falls to the
Reconquista and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter
*
1102- The followers of
El Cid leave
Valencia and the
Muslims occupy the Peninsula as far as
Zaragoza.
**Main Muslim mosque in
Toledo converted to a church, Muslim population is sparse.
Jews live in southwest corner of the city, which also contains a fortress.
**
Diego Gelm铆rez,
Bishop of
Santiago de Compostela, uses force to carry off the relics of
St. Victor and
St. Fructuosus of Dumes from
Braga - recently reinstated as a Metropolitan
See.
**
Christians evacuate
[Valencia in April-May.
Murabitun (Mazdali, presumably ibn Tilankan; Muhammad ibn Fatima) occupy the city. Of the
Taifa states only
Zaragoza,
Majorca, and
Albarracin remain independent.
*
1103 - Ali, the brother of the
Murabitun governor of
Granada, Muhammad ibn al-Hajj, is killed in battle with the
Castilians near
Talavera.
*
1105 - The
Almohades, founded by
Ibn Tumart, began as a religious movement to rid
Islam of impurities. Most specifically, the Almohades were opposed to
anthropomorphisms which had slipped into Iberian Islam. Ibn Tumart's successor,
Abd al-Mu'min, turned the movement against non-Muslims, specifically
Jews and
Christians. Sweeping across
North Africa and into Muslim
Iberia, the zealous Almohades initiate riots and persecutions of both Muslims and non-Muslims. In some towns Jews and Christians are given the choice of conversion, exile, or death.
*
1106 -
Yusuf ibn Tashfin dies and his son, Ali, takes over the
Murabitun empire.
*
1107 - Count
Raymond of Burgundy dies. The Kingdom of
Galicia passes on to his son
Alfonso Raim煤ndez.
*
1108 - The
Murabitun under Tamim ibn Yusuf ibn Tashfin, the brother of the ruler; another general is Muhammad ibn Fatima, the grandson of Sir ibn Abi Bakr) take the small town of
Ucl茅s to the east of
Toledo, but a ridge top fortress holds out.
Alfonso VI sends a relieving army under Alvar Fa帽ez. The
Murabitun decisely beat the Castilians and many leaders are killed, including Sancho,
Alfonso VI of Castile's only son (by Za茂da, a muslim princess) and heir. Subsequently, the
Murabitun pretend to withdraw then launch a successful surprise attack on the castle. As a result the
Christians abandon
Cuenca and
Huete.
*
1109 -
Alfonso VI of Castile and
Le贸n dies.
Urraca of Castile, Count
Raymond of Burgundy's widow, is his only surviving legitimate child and marries King
Alfonso I of Aragon.
**
Murabitun (Tamim ibn Yusuf ibn Tashfin) storm
Talavera on the
Tagus to the west of
Toledo. The country to the north and south of Toledo is ravaged and the city unsuccessfully besieged for a month. Alvar Fa帽ez leads the defence. Emir Ali ibn Yusuf ibn Tashfin joined this year's
Jihad but does not mention him in the actions.
*
1110 - Al-Mustain of
Zaragoza leads an expedition against the
Christians, but is killed at
Valtierra. His son, Imad al-Din, fails to establish his rule and the
Murabitun (ibn al-Hajj) march in (
30 May 1110).
**At
Candespina (in October)
Alfonso the Battler of
Aragon defeats the
Castilian supporters of his wife Urraca and the Castilian candidate for the throne,
Alfonso VII Raim煤ndez.
**
Henry, Count of Portugal unsuccessfully besieges King
Alfonso I of Aragon in
Penafiel.
**
Urraca of Castile further distances herself from her husband
Alfonso I of Aragon accusing him of being abusive and infertile.
**
Henry, Count of Portugal makes common party with
Alfonso I of Aragon against
Urraca of Castile.
*
1111 -
Almoravides led by
Sir ibn Abi Bakr occupy
Lisbon and
Santar茅m in the west. These cities were occupied by the Almoravides in 1094-95 this suggests a fluctuating border in
Portugal.
**Conference of
Palencia, where
Urraca of Castile divides her estates with
Henry, Count of Portugal and his wife and her half-sister
Theresa.
**
Urraca of Castile makes peace with her husband
Alfonso I of Aragon, even though they remain separated.
**
Henry, Count of Portugal, believing
Urraca of Castile has betrayed him, besieges her and her husband
Alfonso I of Aragon in
Sahag煤n, aided by Urraca's son
Alfonso Raim煤ndez.
**
Henry, Count of Portugal grants city rights and privileges to
Coimbra and captures
Santar茅m to the
Moors.
**Alfonso Raim煤ndez,
Raymond of Burgundy and
Urraca of Castile's son, is proclaimed King of
Castile and
Le贸n as
Alfonso VII. This is not recognized.
*
1112 - By this time the
Aragonese have taken
Huesca.
Murabitun (ibn al-Hajj) raid into
Aragonese territory and reach the foothills of the
Pyrenees.
**
Henry, Count of Portugal dies. His son
Afonso Henriques inherits the County of
Portugal, but, as he is too young, his mother,
Theresa, Countess of Portugal, governs the county after her husband's death with the title of
Regina (Queen).
*
1114 - A major
Murabitun expedition (ibn al-Hajj from Zaragoza and Ibn Aisha of Valencia) raids into Catalonia. The army ravages
Christian territory but is ambushed on its return and both
Murabitun generals are killed. The Catalans under Count Ramon Berengar III take over the Balearic Islands upon the death of Emir Mubashir ibn Sulayman of Majorca.
**The marriage between
Urraca of Castile and
Alfonso I of Aragon is annulled.
**The
Taifa of
Beja and
脡vora becomes independent.
*
1115 - The new
Murabitun governor of Zaragoza, Abu Bakr ibn Ibrahim ibn Tifilwit, lays siege to
Barcelona for 20 days. The
Murabitun withdraw when Count Ramon Berengar III returns from Majorca. The
Murabitun fleet takes the Balearic Islands. The
Murabitun general and governor of Granada Mazdali ibn Tilankan dies in battle this year. He led expeditions against the
Christians from 1111, so he might have led an expedition separate from those of Abu Bakr and the fleet. His son, Muhammad, governor of
C贸rdoba, also dies in battle this year (against the Castilians), so it may have been the same expedition.
*
1116 - The armies of
Theresa, Countess of Portugal battle against the armies of Queen
Urraca of Castile.
*
1117 -
Almoravides under
Emir Ali ibn Yusuf himself take
Coimbra, but abandon the city after a few days.
*
1118 -
Alfonso I of Aragon takes
Saragossa from the Muslims. Settlers in the reconquered no-man's lands of
Castile are granted fueros, special rights.
**The
Aragonese led
Alfonso I the Battler seize
Zaragoza and most of the central lands of the
Ebro. The siege of Zaragoza lasts from
22 May 1118 to
18 December 1118. The garrison has 20 mangonels and is supported by a determined militia. As a result of a plea for help of 3 December the
Murabitun governor of
Valencia sends a relief force, but this is too small to help.
Lerida only remains in Muslim hands because it is tributary to
Barcelona.
**
Zaragoza falls to the
Reconquista and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter
*
1120 -
Alfonso I of Aragon decisively defeats an
Murabitun army including many Andalusian volunteers at
Cutanda in summer.
**
Afonso Henriques takes sides with the Bishop of
Braga against his mother
Theresa, Countess of Portugal and her lover, the Count
Fernando Peres de Trava of
Galicia**The armies of
Theresa, Countess of Portugal battle against the armies of
Urraca of Castile.
*
1121 - The
Aragonese take
Calatayud. The
Cordobans rebel against the
Murabitun, and drive the governor and his troops from the city. The Emir Ali ibn Yusuf ibn Tashfin leads an army from Africa to suppress the rebellion. The
Murabitun besiege the city, and persuade the Cordobans to lay down their arms.
**
Alfonso Raim煤ndez comes into
Portugal in a mission of sovereingty with his mother
Urraca of Castile. Their armies capture
Theresa, Countess of Portugal at
Lanhoso, that accepts to go free and hold the County of
Portugal as a
fief of the
Kingdom of Le贸n.
*
1122 -
Aragonese take
Daroca.
**
Afonso Henriques, Heir of
Portugal, aged 14, makes himself a
Knight on his own account in the
Cathedral of
Zamora.
*
1125 - In September,
Alfonso I of Aragon sets out south with an army of 4,000 knights. He travels down the east coat, bypasses the cities and ravages the countryside. He reaches
Guadix unopposed in December.
*
1126 - The
Almoravids deport
Christians to
Morocco.
**
Alfonso I of Aragon defeats the
Murabitun at Arinzul near
Lucena. After symbolically fishing at
Motril on the south coast, Alfonso returns home undefeated.
**Queen
Urraca of Castile dies. Her son Alfonso Raim煤ndez finnaly becomes King
Alfonso VII of Castile and
Le贸n.
*
1127 - The
Kingdom of Le贸n invades
Portugal and besieges
Guimar茫es. The Portuguese Knight
Egas Moniz de Ribadouro manages to make King
Alfonso VII of Castile and
Le贸n accept promisses of Portuguese fidelity.
*
July 24 1128 - Count
Afonso Henriques defeats his mother,
Theresa, Countess of Portugal, in the
Battle of S茫o Mamede (near
Guimar茫es) and becomes sole ruler of
Portugal (
Dux 鈥" Duke) after demandes for independence from the county's people, church and nobles.
*
1129 -
Alfonso I of Aragon defeats a
Murabitun army led by Ali ibn Majjuz, the governor of
Seville deep inside
Valencian territory. This is probably at
Cullera or
Alcala near
Alcira.
**On
April 6 1129,
Afonso Henriques proclaims himself
Prince of Portugal.
*
1130 - A school for scholars is established by
Alfonso VII of Castile in
Toledo, spreading
ancient Greek as well as
Arabic and
Hebrew learning throughout
western Europe.
**Prince
Afonso Henriques of
Portugal invades
Galicia.
*
1130 -
Tashfin ibn Ali ibn Yusuf (the son of the
Murabitun Emir) takes the castle of
Aceca south of
Toledo. The
Murabitun (Governor of Valencia) defeat invading
Aragonese and kill
Gaston IV of B茅arn of the
First Crusade.
*
1133 - The
Christian militia of
Toledo reach the gates of
Seville and kill the
Murabitun governor (Abu Hafs Umar ibn Ali ibn al-Hajj). Further damage is averted by the intervention of Tashfin ibn Ali ibn Yusuf.
*
1134 -
Murabitun (Tashfin ibn Ali ibn Yusuf) raid in the
Caceres area.
**Aragonese
Alfonso I of Aragon besiege the small town of
Fraga. A
Murabitun relief army (Yahya ibn Ali ibn Ghaniya) defeats the overconfident
Aragonese, and a
sally of the
garrison destroys the besiegers' camp.
Alfonso I of Aragon is ambushed while raiding
Lerida and is severely wounded and dies soon after.
*
1135 - King
Alfonso VII of Castile and
Le贸n is proclaimed
Emperor of all Spains. Birth of Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon (called "
Rambam" or Moses
Maimonides).
*
1136 -
Murabitun (Yahya ibn Ali ibn Ghaniya; Sa`d ibn Mardanish) retakes
Mequinenza on the lower
Ebro.
*
1137 - Union of Kingdom of
Aragon and Counties of
Catalonia.
**
Murabitun (Tashfin ibn Ali ibn Yusuf) defeat the
Castilians near
Alcazar de San Juan and sack the castle at
Escalona north of the
Tagus.
**Peace treaty of
Tui, whereby Prince
Afonso Henriques of
Portugal aknowledges himself as vassal to King
Alfonso VII of Castile and
Le贸n, through the possession of
Astorga.
**Prince
Afonso I of Portugal tries and fails to take
Lisbon from the
Moors.
*
1139 -
Battle of Ourique against the
Almoravides who were led by
Ali ibn Yusuf.
**After this battle on
July 26 the
Independence of Portugal from the
Kingdom of Le贸n and
Castile is declared: Prince Afonso Henriques becomes
Afonso I, King of Portugal.
**King
Afonso I of Portugal assembles the first assembly of the estates-general of
Portugal at
Lamego, where he was given the
Crown from the
Bishop of
Bragan莽a to confirm the independence.
*
1140 - Poema del Mio Cid written.
**The
Knights Hospitaller receive lands and privileges from King
Afonso I of Portugal.
**Portuguese victory in
Arcos de Valdevez against
Le贸nese and
Castilian forces.
**King
Afonso I of Portugal tries and fails to take
Lisbon from the
Moors.
*
1143 -
Treaty of Zamora:
Alfonso VII of Le贸n and Castile recognizes the Kingdom of
Portugal in the presence of King
Afonso I of Portugal, witnessed by the
papal representative, the
Cardinal Guido de Vico, at the
Cathedral of
Zamora. Both kings promise durable peace between their kingdoms.
**King
Afonso I of Portugal declares himself vassal to
Pope Innocent II, placing the Kingdom of
Portugal and himself under the protection of
Saint Peter and the
Holy See.
*
1144 - The
Muridun ("Disciples") under
Abul-Qasim Ahmad ibn al-Husayn al-Qasi rebel in the
Algarve.
Ibn al-Mundhir takes
Silves in his name, and the governor of
Beja,
Sidray ibn Wazir, also supports him. Ibn al-Mundhir and Sidray ibn Wazir kill the garrison of
Monchique castle, and 70 men take
M茅rtola by surprise (12 Aug). Soon after, the
Andalusian governor of Niebla,
Yusuf ibn Ahmad al-Bitruji declares for the Muridun. The
Almoravid Yahya ibn Ali ibn Ghaniya drives the Muridun back from
Seville, and afterwards Sidray ibn Wazir splits off from the other Muridun.
**The
Taifa of
M茅rtola and of
Silves again become independent.
*
1145 - The
Cordobans evict the
Murabitun governor at the beginning of the year and raise up Hamdin ibn Huhammad ibn Hamdin as
Emir. A
Zaragozan adventurer in
Castilian employ (Sayf al-Dawla ibn Hud al-Mustansir) briefly seizes power from ibn Hamdin in March but flees to the
Levante due to popular hostility. Ibn Hamdin returns to power but is soon dispossessed by the
Murabitun (Yahya ibn Ali ibn Ghaniya). In March the Andalusian
Jund in
Valencia raise up the qadi Marwan ibn Abd al-Aziz as Emir. When he cannot pay them they replace him with their own leader Ibn Iyad.
**
Portugal retakes
Leiria from the
Moors.
**The
Taifa of
Badajoz again becomes independent and takes the
Taifa of
M茅rtola.
*
1146 - Al-Mustansir accepts the crowns of
Valencia and
Murcia from the hands of Ibn Iyad. The
Christians defeat the
Valencians (Al-Mustansir) near
Albacete killing
Al-Mustansir in the process. Ibn Iyad reassumes the title of Emir. Ibn Iyad dies in an obscure conflict and Muhammad ibn Sa`d ibn Mardanish becomes ruler.
**The
Taifa of
M茅rtola gains independence from
Badajoz.
*
1147 -
Alfonso VII of Castile takes
Calatrava.
**March - King
Afonso I of Portugal takes the
Taifa of
Santar茅m in a surprise attack.
**
Santarem falls to the
Reconquista and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter
**A international
Christian coalition attacks
Almer铆a by land and sea.
Alfonso VII of Castile and Sancho Ramirez IV of Navarre march overland taking
Andujar and
Baeza en route.
Ramon Berengar IV of Aragon-Catalonia and a
Genoese naval contingent join them at
Almer铆a. There is no opposition from the
Murabitun fleet. Almeria falls on 17 Oct and is given to the Genoese.
**
May 19- A fleet of almost 200 ships of the
Second Crusade leaves from
Dartmouth in
England, consisting of
Flemish,
Frisian,
Norman,
English,
Scottish, and some
German crusaders. The fleet was commanded by
Arnold III of Aerschot (nephew of
Godfrey of Louvain)
Christian of Ghistelles,
Henry Glanville (constable of
Suffolk),
Simon of Dover,
Andrew of London, and
Saher of Archelle.
**
June 16 - The
Crusaders' fleet arrives at the
Portuguese city of
Porto, and are convinced by the bishop,
Pedro II Pit玫es, to continue to
Lisbon.
**
July 1 - The
Siege of Lisbon begins, after the armies of King
Afonso I of Portugal were joined by the Crusaders.
**
October 21 - The
Moorish rulers of
Lisbon agree to surrender to King
Afonso I of Portugal, basically due to the hunger that was felt inside the city walls. The terms of surrender indicated that the
Muslim garrison of the city would be allowed to flee.
**
October 25- The city of
Lisbon opens its doors to the
Christian armies. As soon as the Christians enter the city the terms of surrender were broken. The
Muslims were killed, and the city was thoroughly plundered before King
Afonso I of Portugal finally was able to stop the onslaught.
**
Lisbon falls to the
Reconquista and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter
**The towns of
Almada and
Palmela, just south of
Lisbon, are taken from the
Moors by the
Portuguese.
*
1148 -
Almohades take
Seville.
Aragonese take
Tortosa.
*
1149- Aragonese take
Lerida and
Fraga.
**A new
Berber dynasty, the
Almohad, led by Emir
Abd al-Mu'min al-Kumi, takes
North Africa from the
Almoravides and soon invades the
Iberian Peninsula.
*
1150 - The
Taifas of
Badajoz and of
Beja and
脡vora are taken by the
Almohads.
*
1151 - The
Almohades, another more conservative African Muslim dynasty who have displaced the
Almoravides, retake
Almer铆a.
Jews and Moz谩rabes (
Christians in Muslim lands) flee to the northern
Christian kingdoms of Spain, or to Africa and the East, including
Rambam.
Christian kings in northern Spain use
Jews as
physicians,
scientists,
tax collectors,
judges,
diplomats, and public officials.
Jews are sent by both Muslim and
Christian kings to collect tributes from other kindgoms.
**King
Afonso I of Portugal tries and fails to take
Alc谩cer do Sal from the
Moors.
**The
Taifa of
M茅rtola is taken by the
Almohads.
*
1155 -
Almohades take
Granada from
Murabitun.
**The
Taifa of
Silves is taken by the
Almohads.
*
1157 -
Almohades take Almeria from Genoese.
*
1158 - King
Afonso I of Portugal takes
Alc谩cer do Sal from the
Moors.
*
1159 -
脡vora and
Beja, in the southern province of
Alentejo, are taken from the
Moors by the
Portuguese.
*
1160-
Maimonides and his family took refuge in
Fez in
Morocco, which had been spared by the
Almohades.
*
1161 -
脡vora,
Beja and
Alc谩cer do Sal are retaken by the
Moors.
*
1162 - Union of
Aragon and
Catalonia -
Alfonso II of Aragon, son of Petronila and
Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona unite the kingdom of
Aragon and the County of
Barcelona.
**King
Afonso I of Portugal retakes
Beja from the
Moors.
*
1163 - The
Almohad Caliph Abd al-Mu'min al-Kumi dies and is suceded by
Abu Ya'qub Yusuf I.
*
1165 - Faked
conversions become widespread with the accession of the
sultan Abu Yakub. His son, Yakub
Al-Mansur (1184鈥"1199) imposes several restrictions upon the new converts. They could marry only among themselves and were forbidden to engage in large-scale trading, Doubting the sincerity of their conversion, in 1198, he also ordered them to wear a special degrading garb: a blue tunic one cubit long with ridiculously long wide sleeves. The converts were compelled to wear a blue skullcap which fell below their ears in the shape of a donkey's packsaddle, instead of the usual turbans.
*
1165-
Maimonides and his family leave
Fez.
**The
Portuguese armies, lead by
Geraldo the Fearless, retake
脡vora from the
Moors.
**Negotiations between
Portugal and
Le贸n result in the marriage of Princess
Urraca of Portugal, King
Afonso I's daughter, with King
Ferdinand II of Le贸n.
*
1166 - The
Portuguese armies take
Serpa and
Moura (in
Alentejo) from the
Moors.
*
1168 -
Portuguese frontiersman
Geraldo the Fearless goes into the teritory of
Badajoz.
*
1169 - King
Afonso I of Portugal grants the
Knights Templar one third of all they take from the
Moors in
Alentejo.
**
Geraldo the Fearless seizes
Badajoz from the
Almohads.
**King
Afonso I of Portugal is wounded by a fall from his horse in
Badajoz, and is captured by the competing forces of King
Ferdinand II of Le贸n. As ransom King
Afonso I was obliged to surrender almost all the conquests he had made in
Galicia in the previous years, as well as
Badajoz, that the
Leonese gave back to the
Almohads as a vassal territory.
*
1170- Intermittent war between
Leon and
Castile.
**The
Almohads transfer their capital to
Seville.
*
1171 -
Almohades Muslims begin building the
Alc谩zar, their palace.
*
1172 -
Almohades capture Murcia.
Almohades take over
Valencia when
ibn Mardanish dies.
*
1174 鈥" The kingdom of
Aragon recognizes
Portugal as independent.
*
1179 -
Castile and
Aragon agree on future partition of
Al-Andalus.
**
Pope Alexander III, in the
Papal bull Manifestis Probatum, recognizes
Afonso I as
King and
Portugal as an independent country with the right to take lands from the
Moors. With this papal blessing, Portugal was at last secured as a country and safe from any
Castilian or
Leonese attempts of annexation.
*
1184 - The
Portuguese defeat the
Almohades at
Santar茅m.
**
Yusuf I, Almohad Caliph, dies and is succeeded by
Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur.
*
1185 -
Sancho I of Portugal becomes
King of
Portugal.
*
1185-
1212 -
Sancho I of Portugal founds several new towns and villages and takes great care in populating remote areas in the northern Christian regions of Portugal, notably with
Flemings and
Burgundians.
*
1190 -
Maimonides writes the
Moreh Nebukhim, or
Guide to the Perplexed, using rationalism to reconcile
Judaismwith Aristotle's laws of nature, and
Shloshah-Asar Ikkarim, the
Thirteen Articles of Faith.
*
1195 - The
Almohades defeat the
Castilians at
Alarcos.
*
1199 - The
Almohad Caliph Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur dies and is succeeded by
Muhammad an-Nasir.
*
1200 - Ibn Tumart's successor, Abd al-Mumin, turned the movement against non-Muslims, specifically
Jews and
Christians. Sweeping across North Africa and into Muslim Iberia, the zealous
Almohades initiated riots and persecutions of Muslims and non-Muslims. In some towns
Jews and
Christians were given the choice of conversion, exile, or death.
*
1203 - The
Almohades take
Majorca from the
Murabitun.
*
1205 - Death of
Maimonides in
Egypt. Birth of
Chaiya bat Avraham Toledano.
*
1212 -
Afonso II of Portugal becomes
King of
Portugal.
**
Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa:
Alfonso VIII of Castile,
Sancho VII of Navarre,
Pedro II of Aragon and
Afonso II of Portugal, defeat
Almohades (
Caliph Muhammad an-Nasir) at the
Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. The Christians had 60-100,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry, and had troops from
Western Europe,
Castile,
Navarre,
Aragon,
Le贸n and
Portugal,
Military Orders (
Knights Templar,
Knights Hospitaller,
Santiago,
Cavatrava), and urban
militias.
** After the defeat the
Almohad empire goes into a serious decline in Spain and in North Africa.
*
1213-
1276 - Reign of King
James I of Aragon, who encouraged
Jews from
France and
North Africa to settle in
Aragon with land and property grants and exemptions from taxes.
*
1213 -
Abu Ya'qub Yusuf II becomes
Almohad Caliph.
*
1215 - Fourth
Lateran Council institutes the "Badge of Shame", a mark that all
Jews are required to wear to distinguish themselves from
Christians, and decrees that
Jews shall not be seen in public on
Good Friday.
Fernando III, with the archbishop of
Toledo, appeal to the
Pope on behalf of the Iberian
Jews. The pope,
Honorius II, suspends the decision.
*
1217 - The
Portuguese take the town of
Alc谩cer do Sal from the Moors.
*
1217-
1252 -
Fernando III, king of
Castile and
Leon, conquers
C贸rdoba,
Murcia,
Jaen, and
Seville.
Granada remains as the sole independent Muslim kingdom.
*
1218 -
University of Salamanca is founded by
Alfonso IX*
1227 Denia falls to the
Reconquista and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter
*
1228 - King
Jaime I of Aragon, fixes 20% maximum
interest on loans, and decrees that a Jewish oath can not serve as evidence in a court of law. Alfonso X fixes 33.3% interest, and establishes the Rab de la Corte or chief justice of appeals (rabbi) in
Las Siete Partidas.
*
1228 Badajoz falls to the
Reconquista and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter.
*
1229 -
Jaime I of Aragon, the Conqueror, retakes
Majorca,
Jerica and
Murviedro-Sagunto which will remain in
Christian hands thereafter.
*
1230 - Final union of
Leon and
Castile.
**
Alfonso IX of Leon advances along the River
Guadiana, takes
Merida and
Badajoz, and opens up the way for the conquest of
Seville.
*
1232 Ibiza and
Jaen fall to the
Reconquista and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter.
*
1233 -
Castile defeats
Granada at the
Battle of Jerez.
**
Sancho II of Portugal becomes
King of
Portugal.
*
1236 -
Portugal captures most of the
Algarve.
**
Castile forces under
Ferdinand III of Castile recapture
C贸rdoba which will remain in
Christian hands thereafter.
** Castilian forces include urban
militia.
**The ruler of Granada,
Mohammed ibn Alhamar, approaches
Ferdinand III of Castile to propose that in return for cooperating in the conquest of Muslim
Seville,
Granada would be granted independence as a subject of Castile. Fernando agrees and takes Seville. On returning to Granada, the embarrassed ibn-Alhamar announces "there is no victor but Allah" which he inscribes all over the
Alhambra palace.
*
1238 -
Aragon captures
Valencia. Aragonese forces include urban
militia.
**Birth of
Moses de Leon, who published
Sepher ha Zohar or "Book of Splendor", one of the most influential
Kabbalistic document, which some Jewish communities value as an important source of interpretation on the
Torah.
**
Jaime I retakes
Valencia,
Albarracin,
Alpuente,
Tortosa from the
Muslims, all of which would remain in
Christian hands thereafter .He also gains control of the prized paper mills at
Xativa.
*
1243 Jaime I retakes
Murcia from the Moors and it will remain in Christian control thereafter.
*
1244 Arjona and
Baeza fall to the
Reconquista and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter.
**
Jaime I of Aragon captures the city and
Castle of Jativa from
Ibn Hud who signs the
Treaty of Jativa effectively becoming a vassal to the Christian Kingdom.
*
1245 - Muslim troubles start in
Valencia.
** Muslim commander
Al-Azraq surrenders to
Jaime I of Aragon and signs the
Al-Azraq Treaty of 1245.
*
1246 Carmona falls to the
Reconquista and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter
*
1247 - Having had time to secretly regroup his forces
Al-Azraq breaks the
treaty that he had signed in 1245 and leads a revolt in
Valencia.
*
1246 鈥"
Pope Innocent IV declares King
Sancho II of Portugal a heretic and orders him to be removed from the throne.
*
1247 - The Muslim rebels in
Valencia retreat into the territory controlled by the
Mud茅jar lord
Al-Azraq who holds 8 castles in the
Alcala valley. They seize more castles and continue a successful
guerrilla war.
**
Afonso III of Portugal becomes
King of
Portugal;
Sancho II of Portugal is exiled to
Toledo.
*
1248 -
Christian armies under
Ferdinand III of Castile take
Seville after 16 months of siege, despite Muslim
catapults,
Greek fire, and
bowmen who pierce
armor. Castilian forces include urban militia.
**
Arcos,
Constantina,
Huelva,
Jerez,
Moron,
Ronda,
Saltes and
Segorbe are retaken from the
Muslims and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter.
**
Nasrid dynasty founded in
Granada.
*
1249 - The Muslims fend off a major
Christian offensive under King
Jaime I of Aragon.
**
Orihuela falls to the
Reconquista and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter.
*
1252-
1284 -
Alfonso X the Wise continues the
Christian reconquest of the peninsula and is obliged to face the
Mudejar revolts of
Andalusia and
Murcia. He seeks election as emperor of the
Holy Roman Empire in
1257. He drafts the
Fuero de las Leyes, the forerunner of the
Siete Partidas.
*
1250 Mertola,
Santa Maria del Algarbe ,
Silves ,
Tavira ,
Tejada ,
Constantina ,
Huelva , and
Jerez fall to the
Reconquista and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter.
*
1252 - Periodic civil wars in
Castile.
*
1255 -
Lisbon becames the capital city of
Portugal.
*
1256 - Fighting flares up between the
Valencia rebels and the
Aragonese.
*
1257 - Muslims use some form of incendiary weapon at
Niebla.
**
Alfonso X seeks election as emperor of the
Holy Roman Empire.
*
1258 - King
Jaime I of Aragon takes
al-Azraq's main citidel and suppresses the
Valencian rebellion.
*
1262 Niebla falls to the
Reconquista and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter.
*
1263 -
July 20-
23, the
Barcelona Disputation, "religious disputation between Pablo
Christiania and
Nahmanides of
Gerona in the presence of King
Jaime I of Aragon.
*
1264 - Muslim revolt in
Andalusia.
**October:
Alfonso X of Castile takes
Jerez.
*
1266 Lorca ,
Murcia ,
Purchena and
Segura are retaken from the Muslims and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter.
*
1267 -
Nahmanides flees to
Eretz Israel for safety.
*
1272 鈥" King
Afonso III of Portugal takes
Faro (in the
Algarve) from the
Moors, thus removing the last
Muslim state from
Portuguese soil and ending the
Portuguese Reconquista.
*
1275 - Four
Marinid expeditions to
Iberia.
**Muslims defeat Christians at
Ecija.
*
1276 - Muslim revolt in
Valencia.
*
1279 鈥"
Dinis of Portugal becomes
King of
Portugal.
*
1280 - Muslims use some form of incendiary weapon at
C贸rdoba.
*
1284 - An assembly of nobles, prelates and citizens depose
Alfonso X and hand over power to his son
Sancho IV.
*
1285 - War between
France and
Aragon-
Catalonia.
*
1287 Menorca falls to the
Reconquista and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter.
*
1292 -
Castile captures
Tarifa from
Marinids.
*
1295 - Civil wars in
Castile.
*
1297 鈥" King
Dinis of Portugal signs a treaty with King
Ferdinand IV of Castile to define the borders between
Portugal and
Castile-
Le贸n; this treaty is valid to the present day.
*
1306 - Muslims use some form of incendiary weapon at
Gibraltar.
*
1309 -
Ferdinand IV of Castile takes
Gibraltar.
**
Algeciras falls to the
Reconquista and will remain in
Christian hands thereafter.
*
1310 -
Castile captures
Gibraltar.
*
1312-
1350 - War between
Alfonso XI and
Granada:-
*
1319 -
Granada defeats Castilian invasion.
*
1324 -
Catalonia occupies
Sardinia.
*
1325 -
Alfonso XI decides to avenge the defeat against his army in 1319. His armies attack Granada once again. This time, they are victorious and manage to defeat
Muhammad IV.
*
1331 -
Granada uses iron balls propelled by fire or containing fire against
Alicante and
Orihuela.
*
1333 -
Granada retakes
Gibraltar from the Castilians.
*
1340 -
Alfonso XI wins the battle of
Battle of Rio Salado.
*
1341 -
Portugal raids the
Canary Islands.
*
1343 -
Granadines use cannon in the (unsuccessful) defence of
Algeciras.
*
1345 - Kingdoms of
Catalonia-
Aragon and
Rousillon-
Majorca reunited.
*
1348 - The
Black Death strikes
Europe.
*
1350 -
Peter the Cruel takes the throne of Castile.
*
1383-
1385 鈥"
Portuguese Civil war and political anarchy: the
1383-1385 Crisis.
*
1385 鈥" A new
dynasty is established in
Portugal, replacing the
House of Burgundy: the
House of Aviz.
*
1391 -
Jews of
Palma, Majorca and
Girona are
massacred.
*
1394 - Battle of
Egea.
Granadine troops become the first troops in
Iberia to use
handguns.
*
1402 -
French adventurers occupy the
Canary Islands in the name of Castile.
*
1410 - An attack against
Granada is led by
Ferdinand of Aragon. He does not take Granada, but he takes the city of
Antequera. This is considered the most important victory since the reign of
Alfonso XI.
*
1415 -
Portugal takes the city of
Ceuta in
North Africa.
*
1419 -
Portugal discovers the
Madeira Islands.
*
1431 -
Portugal discovers the
Azores Islands.
*
1434 -
Portugal begins systematic exploration of the
African coast.
*
1435 - Genoese defeat
Aragonese.
*
1440 -
Gypsies enter the
Iberian peninsula and end up preserving the Andalusian
Cante Jondo (traditional songs) and
Baile Flamenco (traditional dances).
*
1445 - Supporters of
John II of Castile (under Baron Alvaro de Luna) defeat Rebel Nobility at
Olmedo.
*
1462 -
Castile takes
Gibraltar again.
*
1464 -
Enrique IV of Castile names as heir to the throne his sister, the future Isabel I, the
Catholic, and disinherits his daughter Juana, who was nicknamed 'La Beltraneja'.
*
1469 -
Isabel I of Castile and
Fernando II of Aragon are married, thus consummating the unity of Castile and
Arag贸n.
*
1470 - Castilians conquer the
Canary Islands.
*
26 December 1481 - The
Granadines (Emir Abu Hasan) surprise the Castilian garrison of
Zahara on a stormy night. The population is enslaved.
*
1482 - Forces of
Castile-
Arag贸n (2500 cavalry and 3000 infantry under Rodrigo
Ponce de Leon Marquis of
Cadiz gather at
Marchena (25 Feb), march to
Antequera, cross the
Sierra Alzerifa, and then seize Granadine
Alhama on a stormy night before dawn (
28 February 1482). Abu Hasan attempts to retake
Alhama by siege (5鈥"19 March) but withdraws unsuccessfully to
Granada. Muslim troops from
Ronda raid the
Arcos area to try to tempt the Marquis out of
Alhama. In support of his men at Alhama, King Ferdinand marches to
Lucena, sends reinforcements to Alhama (
30 April 1482), withdraws to
C贸rdoba to organise a major force, and then formally takes over Alhama (
14 May 1482).
**Siege of
Loja. King
Ferdinand II of Aragon attacks the Granadine city of Loja (
1 July 1482). The city is defended by the
octogenarian father-in-law of Muhammad XII, one Ibrahim Ali al-Attar.
Ferdinand II of Aragon returns to
C贸rdoba. Abu Hasan marches on
Loja and sweeps the
Rio Frio in mid July.
*
1483 - Battle of
Axarquia. A fast moving Castilian force raids into the mountains of Axarquia. Emir Muhammad XII of Granada becomes the first King of Granada to be captured by the
Christians.
*
1484 - The Castilian-Arag贸nese army led by King
Ferdinand II of Aragon assembles at
Antequera in Spring, marches to
Alora, raids
Coin,
Cazabonela,
Almjia,
Cartama,
Pupiana,
Alhendrin, and the fertile valley of
Malaga before returning to
Antequera. They capture
Alora and
Senetil and raid into the fertile valley of
Granada.
*
1485 - Al-Zagal drives
Muhammad XII from
Almer铆a. Muhammad XII flees to King
Ferdinand II of Aragon, at
C贸rdoba. Ferdinand besieges
Coin and
Cartama. Al-Zagal then attempts to relieve the sieges, but first
Co铆n falls (
27 April 1485) then
Cartama (
28 April 1485). The garrison of
Ronda raids
Medina Sidonia but returns to find its city besieged by Ferdinand in early May. Abu Hasan of Granada dies and Al-Zagal assumes title of
Emir in late May; Al-Zagal defeats a
Christian foraging party from Alhama on his way to Granada. Three groups of
Castilian-
Aragonese march toward
Moclin (late Aug). Al-Zagal ambushes and defeats the first group, although it is rescued by the second group of Christians in early September. Al-Zagal enters
Moclin. The third Castilian-Aragonese group (Ferdinand) joins the other two and they take the castles of
Cambil and
Albahar (
23 September 1485). The Castilian-Aragonese of
Alhama also take the castle of
Zalea in September.
*
1487 Malaga falls to the
Reconquista .
*
1489 Spain captures
Baza. Al-Zagal surrenders to Spain.
**
Almeria falls to the
Reconquista.
*
1491 The Muslims in Granada surrender to the
Christians.
Abu 'abd Allah Muhammad XII Sultan of
Granada relinquishes the last Muslim controlled city in the Iberian Peninsula to the Christians and signs the
Treaty of Granada.
**
Guadix falls to the
Reconquista.
*
2 January 1492 - The
Catholic Monarchs, Queen
Isabella of Castile and King
Ferdinand II of Aragon, take over
Granada.
**The union of Castile and Aragon, and the conquest of Granada, gives rise to the country of
Spain*
1492 to
1507 - The remaining
Moors who want to stay in
Spain form an alliance with the towns of
Abar谩n,
Ulea,
Eyes, and
Ricote and request to become
Catholic and abandon the
Muslim religion. They request King
Fernando to grant them permission to convert their mosques back to
Christian churches. The king then appeals to the reigning Pope
Julius II (nephew of
Sixtus IV) to grant the aspirations of these new Christians. These former Moorish converts to Christianity will come to be known as the
Moriscos.
*
1496 - All
Moors are expelled from
Portugal.
*
1502 - After various rebellions the Moors are deemed in violation of their surrender terms and are forcibly expelled from Spain along with the
Jews, who are widely perceived to have collaborated with the
Moors against the
Christians during Muslim rule.
*
1512 - The
Kingdom of Navarre (south of the
Pyrenees) is annexed by King
Ferdinand II of Aragon, thus giving final form to the modern country of
Spain. From this moment on the
Iberian peninsula is made up of two
Christian states,
Spain and
Portugal.
*
1568 -
Rebellion of the Alpujarras. After King
Philip II introduces laws prohibiting Moorish culture, the remaining population of Moors who had nominally converted to Christianity in order to remain in Spain , then known as
Moriscos, revolt under the leadership of
Aben Humeya in Granada. The rebellion is suppressed in 1571 by
John of Austria, Philip II's half-brother, and the Moriscos are deported to different parts of the northern half of the Iberian peninsula.
*
1578 -
Sebastian of Portugal dies at the
Battle of Alcazarquivir,
North Africa and causes a
dynastical crisis in Portugal. He is succeeded by his aged uncle
Cardinal Henry of Portugal.
*
1580 - Following the death of
Henry of Portugal,
Philip II of Spain is the strongest claimant to the throne of Portugal and therefor invades the country and is crowned at the
Cortes of
Tomar joining all Iberian territory under a monarch.
*
1609 - King
Philip III issues the Act of Expulsion for the entire remaining
Moriscos population, who are found to have appealed to the
Ottoman Empire for military intervention in Spain and are viewed as a
fifth column that is trying to rebuild the Muslim occupation in the Peninsula.
*
1616 - The last remaining
Moriscos in the Iberian peninsula are expelled.
